Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Jan 9 – 10, 2019Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Good skiing can be found on moderate angle terrain.  This is the time to stay out of the steeper lines.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5
    Be aware of cracking around your skis as you approach tree line. This is a good indicator of wind slabs.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3
    The bottom half of the snowpack is very weak. Triggering this layer will result in large to very large avalanches.

Confidence

-

Weather Forecast

Up to 8cm of snow is forecast to fall by Wednesday afternoon. The winds are expected to be strong for Thursday out of the West and moderating for Friday. Alpine temperatures for Thursday and Friday will be around -6c with a warming trend on Saturday.

Avalanche Summary

A skier controlled size 2 avalanche occurred in the Tryst Chutes.  Another size 2 natural was observed in the Goat Range.

Snowpack Summary

Strong SW winds today has moved the snow around a bunch in the alpine and tree line today. Expect some wind slabs starting at tree line in lee features and getting more dense as you get into the alpine. The December 30 facet layer which is down about 50cm is still on our radar as it has produced clean sheers earlier in the week. The bottom half of the snowpack is weak and made up of facets. Any avalanches that happen have a chance of stepping down to ground because of these basal facets.

Regions covered